Tiger Temple Kanchanaburi The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Thailand

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Peter Dickinson

Well-Known Member
The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand has, in the space of just a few years become one of the 'must sees' for visitors to Bangkok. It dresses itself up in a 'my buddy tiger' guise and, because it is situated in a Buddhist Temple with a Monk input it is 'almost' protected from criticism within the country. It is though cruel, commercial and exploitative. It only exists because of tourist visits.
There are continued efforts from people and groups 'in the know' to get this place closed down and yet this week they were granted permission to become a zoo. Three people were arrested after protesting over this decision. This is bad news folks. Very bad news. Please read these links to learn more:
The Tiger Temple The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Thailand
and
Very Bad News - The Tiger Temple Becomes a Zoo
Zoo News Digest: Very Bad News - The Tiger Temple becomes a Zoo
 
With perplexed wide open eyes one reads this piece of a ... journalism! Oops, so much for conservation breeding? Do the monks really understand the concept ... no, not by a long shot or 60,000! :mad:
 
The New York Times has also chimed in on the current situation.

Thai Officials Battle Buddhist Monks Over Tigers' Fate

Richard C. Paddock said:
An Australian organization, Cee4life, claims that 281 tigers have been born at the temple over the years and that natural deaths alone could not account for today’s population, which stands at 138, not counting the 10 already removed by the government. The organization also presented evidence that some of the temple’s first tigers had been caught in the wild and that others had been brought later from Laos.
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The fact that the temple is probably involved in slaughtering tigers and trading body parts really sets my teeth on edge.

Though, I must express some concern over the Thai government's ability to take in another hundred plus cats. By all available press, they're already stuffed to the gills with rescues that can't be returned to the wild.
 
Arizona Docent said:
It is so disappointing that tourists continue to support a place like this.
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Whilst religion has generally earned itself a bad reputation; bhuddist monks have managed to avoid this and generally have a very favourable reputation; even in films. So with no major negative media outcry at the activities happening at the Temple the average person has no reason to suspect that there are problems

Bad care or rundown facilities might well be accepted as the trails and troubles of working in a more challenging country; whilst most people also have no clue about the care of tigers and thus might well assume that all that they are shown and see is correct and proper - and of course they won't be privy to the missing tiger details.


There is an air of silence to this, nothing makes it into the media to highlight it whilst I suspect that as a major attraction the government doesn't want to rock the boat.



Personally I think its a great shame that the temple could not involve itself with international organisations to improve their care and the overall conservation status of the tigers.
 
It is and was a shambles' and shameless location for both wild caught and tigers purportedly bred at the facility.

But: truthfully there is no adequate acco as yet to house the confiscated tigers from the Kanchanaburi temple complex. That is equally disconcerting to me … and tends to get overlooked amidst all the internet hoarding and media hype.

I wish they would prosecute the Kanchanaburi temple order properly and at the same time order them to pay up for better housing and a sound final solution for these captive tigers (surely most if not all are unlikely to be able to be sent back to the wild).

It would be interesting to find out if the tigers are of Indochina or mixed origins ...
 
That the temple monks are disrupting and apparently washing their hands of hte whole affair speaks volumes as to their motives somewhat.
 
Given their past, I am not optimistic about this reopening. I really think it should be shut down completely.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Given their past, I am not optimistic about this reopening. I really think it should be shut down completely.
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@AD, agreed as I do have reservations too.

It will be interesting to see who will manage it and whether adequate animal husbandry and management skills are in place and at the helm. If the national Thai ZPO would be on board and in control I would feel all the better.
 
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